NEED TO KNOW
- Richard Fain, the longtime CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group, is revealing to PEOPLE how Gloria Estefan prevented a cruise ship disaster
- In 1990, the singer was named godmother of the company’s new ship, the Nordic Empress
- Estefan’s appearance at the vessel’s christening came shortly after her near-fatal bus accident earlier in the year
Richard Fain, the former CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group, is revealing how Gloria Estefan prevented a potential cruise ship disaster.
During PEOPLE’s recent conversation with the businessman — discussing his new book Delivering the WOW — Fain reflected on working with big name celebrities who acted as godparents for the company’s vessels. Over the course of more than three decades, he worked with Whoopi Goldberg, Malala Yousafzai and many others. He called it a “privilege” and “perk of the job” to personally ask the stars to hold the position.
But one of the most “special” experiences dates back to 1990, when the company was introducing the Nordic Empress, later renamed the Empress of the Seas. To bless this new vessel, the Miami-based company tapped music icon Estefan, now 68, as godmother.
The ‘Nordic Empress’ cruise ship.
Charles Knight/Shutterstock
Estefan was not only one of the first godmothers Fain got to work with, it was an especially momentous occasion because the “Conga” singer had recently broken her back in a near-fatal bus accident in March 1990.
While Fain discussed the christening with the singer, she was concerned she’d have to smash a bottle of champagne herself — a typical tradition to christen ships with good luck.
“When she heard the bottle weighs 33 lbs, she got a little nervous, and I explained, ‘No, the bottle is on one end of a pendulum and we swing it. All you have to do is cut the ribbon,’” Fain recalls of his conversation with the singer.
“When we practiced the bottle, everything worked fine,” Fain says. “But when the day came, she cut the ribbon, the bottle swung against the side of the ship and instead of the bottle breaking, it dented the ship.”
While the Royal Caribbean team “rigged” something together to make the display finally work, Estefan was “very helpful” in dealing with the curious onlookers.
“During that time, she was entertaining the crowd,” Fain says. “They were wild. They couldn’t have been happier to have this, what I thought was a terrible thing,” happen.
According to local outlet South Florida Sun Sentinel’s reporting from June 23, 1990, it took Estefan two tries to break the bottle.
“They told me this would be very easy,” Estefan joked at the time, according to the outlet.
After the event, Fain was sure there’d be negative press coverage.
“Sure enough, on TV that night, every station in the area showed it, in slow motion mind you,” Fain remembers. “The first time they showed it, I’m dying. And the second time, the third time and the eighth time, I’m saying, ‘What terrific publicity.’”
Emilio and Gloria Estefan in February 2023.
Santiago Felipe/Getty
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Today, Fain says he “remains friends” with Gloria and her husband Emilio, calling them “just wonderful people.”
Richard Fain’s ‘Deliver the WOW’.
Courtesy of Richard Fain
In recent years, Royal Caribbean has named astronaut Kellie Gerardi and singer Meghan Trainor as godmothers. While Fain says a new Royal Caribbean ship generally generates enough fanfare on its own, having celebrity godmothers is “icing on the cake.”
Delivering the WOW: Culture as a Catalyst for Lasting Success is on sale now.
